Hafley Continues to Grow BC’s Recruiting Footprint
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher
Before 21 of the newest Eagles signed their NLIs Wednesday, Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley reaffirmed his commitment to a program he is trying to build through development of high school talent.
And Hafley is stretching far beyond his backyard to find that talent.
He and his staff have already reeled in signees from four different states Steve Addazio never pulled from during his seven-year tenure: Alabama, Tennessee, Nevada and Illinois.
Meanwhile, last year’s cycle saw Hafley secure five Virginia signees. To put that in perspective, Addazio’s staff had two from Virginia his entire stay in Chestnut Hill.
Whereas Addazio and Co. relied heavily on New York, New Jersey and Connecticut—55 of BC’s 148 signees, or 37.2%, from 2014-20 played their high school ball in those states—Hafley and his staff has targeted the “DMV,” or District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.
Of Hafley’s 47 signees in the 2021 and 2022 classes, 12 have come from Virginia and Maryland high schools. It helps that arguably BC’s best recruiter, associate head coach/defensive backs coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, specializes in that area. A D.C. native, “Coach Aazaar” made a name for himself in the DMV while he was coaching DBs for Maryland.
BC’s success in the DMV made the program’s Military Bowl invite all the more meaningful. As a 6-6 ACC bottom dweller, the Eagles didn’t have many options this postseason. But the Military Bowl places BC in Annapolis, Maryland, just after locking up what could be one of their highest-rated recruiting classes in program history.
“It’s an area we targeted [and] hit hard,” Hafley said on Dec. 5, the night of the bowl game announcement. “We respect the football in the area a lot. There’s great academics. So it’s a great fit for Boston College.”
He continued: “For us to get there and have recruits come and see us and possibly come and watch us practice, to have the high school coaches in the area to come and watch us practice, to see how we do things, to see how we teach, to see how we interact with our players. I think it’s huge.”
BC just hosted eight official Class of 2022 visitors this past Saturday for a bowl prep practice. All of those recruits, including four stars Sione Hala (Bellflower, California) and Joseph Griffin (Springfield, Massachusetts) signed with the Eagles Wednesday.
Hafley’s crew has dipped even further south, enticing Alabama pass rushers Quintayvious Hutchins and Ty Clemons to come to Chestnut Hill last year. And they’ve signed a pair of Georgia prospects back-to-back years, including Class of 2022 defensive back Amari Jackson, who was being recruited hard by the SEC’s Tennessee up until the final weeks of this cycle.
Then, of course, Texas provided breakout freshman wide receiver Jaden Williams, who caught three touchdowns in his first four games as an Eagle this year. This year, the Eagles plucked defensive end Kivon Wright from the Lone Star state, and they’re still trying to woo four-star tight end/wide receiver RJ Maryland, the son of NFL stud Russell Maryland who committed to BC in late June but hasn’t signed anywhere yet.
Tennessee and Nevada were the breakthroughs this cycle. BC hadn’t signed a high school player from those states since Rivals started tracking recruiting data in 2002.
Now, the Eagles have two explosive running backs from there, not to mention that Class of 2022 O-Line signee Noah Clifford is originally from Brentwood, Tennessee.
Alex Broome is from Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. He rushed for 1,395 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior while leading his team to a state title. In the process, Broome registered 68 catches and 12 receiving touchdowns.
Cam Barfield, on the other hand, is from Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas. He opened the year by bursting free for five touchdowns and then wrapped up his high school career with a score in the state title game.
Hafley practically has two full classes under his belt. While BC’s ACC trajectory, standing-wise, is a bit murky right now, his recruiting plan is crystal clear.
And that’s to grow the Eagles’ footprint. Nationally.
